Shloka 24

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

स तया निहतो राजन्‌ कालिड्रतनयो रथात्‌

Transliteration

sa tayā nihato rājan kāliḍratanayo rathāt

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O König, von ihr niedergestreckt, stürzte der Sohn des Kāliḍrata vom Wagen — ein weiteres Leben, abgeschnitten im unerbittlichen Drängen der Schlacht, wo Tapferkeit und Schicksal den weltlichen Hochmut rasch zu Boden werfen.“

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तया: by her
• तया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• निहतः: slain/struck down
• निहतः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कालिड्रतनयः: the son of Kāliḍrata
• कालिड्रतनयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिड्रत-नय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथात्: from the chariot
• रथात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kāliḍrata
• Kāliḍratanaya (son of Kāliḍrata)
• ratha (chariot)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of life and status in war: even a chariot-warrior can be instantly brought down. It implicitly reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension—kṣatriya duty demands combat, yet the human cost is immediate and irreversible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior identified as the son of Kāliḍrata has been struck down by a female combatant (“by her”) and has fallen from his chariot, marking a decisive moment in the ongoing battle description.